The European Union versus the Internet
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The European Union versus the Internet
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Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#2It seems there's a common warfront in general around what can or can't be said, and it has coalesced in the every-one tool, the Internet.
Greater ease to publish, greater impulse to control one another.
The test of our day seems to be around the right to speak freely, online.
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#3> This brings me to a piece of legislation I have been very critical of for quite some time: GDPR. The intent of the legislation is certainly admirable — protect consumer privacy —although (and this may be the American in me speaking) I am perhaps a bit skeptical about just how much most consumers care relative to elites in the media.
Amen. The way Google and FB are using data just doesn't bother the masses the way it bothers the media and the narrative they've built (or the way it bothers us). There are many steps that can be taken, some incremental, towards the curbing of these practices. But we, as technologists, should always decry heavy-handed government regulation of the internet, especially as an early step. The intent does not matter.
If legislation doesn't work, don't make more or make it larger assuming it was the scope that was the problem. Take a step back and recognize alternatives including enforcing existing statues, promoting alternatives, educating citizenry, more targeted and narrowly scoped legislation, etc.
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#4It's not just the EU that the Internet is in danger of.
A Labour MP in the UK announced a bill that wants to curtail "closed" forums on social media [0].
Analysis on the topic [1].
[0]: https://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/3062557/mp-plans-laws-to-ope...
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#5The Web is not the Internet
EU is targeting US WEB tech giants, but can't directly name them
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#6> This brings me to a piece of legislation I have been very critical of for quite some time: GDPR. The intent of the legislation is certainly admirable — protect consumer privacy —although (and this may be the American in me speaking) I am perhaps a bit skeptical about just how much most consumers care relative to elites in the media. Amen. The way Google and FB are using data just doesn't bother the masses the way i…
> But we, as technologists, should always decry heavy-handed government regulation of the internet, especially as an early step.
This is not an early step. The trend has been clear for the past decade, and it has been going in the wrong direction, at increasing speeds.
This is pretty much something the tech industry brought upon itself by trying to always trying to outdo itself in terms of how much tracking and privacy violations it could get away with.
IOW, from a techie to another: cry me a river.
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#7> This brings me to a piece of legislation I have been very critical of for quite some time: GDPR. The intent of the legislation is certainly admirable — protect consumer privacy —although (and this may be the American in me speaking) I am perhaps a bit skeptical about just how much most consumers care relative to elites in the media. Amen. The way Google and FB are using data just doesn't bother the masses the way i…
> The way Google and FB are using data just doesn't bother the masses
we, as technologists, should always fight against corporate walled gardens that harvest people's data
Those refining FB or Twitter or YouTube algorithms today, are paving the road to tyrants of tomorrow
the EU is being the Oppenheimer of the web against the monsters of the future
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#8It seems there's a common warfront in general around what can or can't be said, and it has coalesced in the every-one tool, the Internet. Greater ease to publish, greater impulse to control one another. The test of our day seems to be around the right to speak freely, online.
I'm surprised Tor usage hasn't skyrocketed.
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#9> This brings me to a piece of legislation I have been very critical of for quite some time: GDPR. The intent of the legislation is certainly admirable — protect consumer privacy —although (and this may be the American in me speaking) I am perhaps a bit skeptical about just how much most consumers care relative to elites in the media. Amen. The way Google and FB are using data just doesn't bother the masses the way i…
> But we, as technologists, should always decry heavy-handed government regulation of the internet, especially as an early step. This is not an early step. The trend has been clear for the past decade, and it has been going in the wrong direction, at increasing speeds. This is pretty much something the tech industry brought upon itself by trying to always trying to outdo itself in terms of how much tracking and priva…
>The trend has been clear for the past decade, and it has been going in the wrong direction, at increasing speeds.
Tools to block tracking have gotten better. Spyware is more difficult to spread, etc. I'm not convinced it's going the wrong direction "at increasing speeds". Do you have any empirical evidence of this or is it just based on perception?
>IOW, from a techie to another: cry me a river.
Don't do this.
" Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. "
Re: The European Union versus the Internet
#10> This brings me to a piece of legislation I have been very critical of for quite some time: GDPR. The intent of the legislation is certainly admirable — protect consumer privacy —although (and this may be the American in me speaking) I am perhaps a bit skeptical about just how much most consumers care relative to elites in the media. Amen. The way Google and FB are using data just doesn't bother the masses the way i…
> But we, as technologists, should always decry heavy-handed government regulation of the internet, especially as an early step. This is not an early step. The trend has been clear for the past decade, and it has been going in the wrong direction, at increasing speeds. This is pretty much something the tech industry brought upon itself by trying to always trying to outdo itself in terms of how much tracking and priva…
> This is not an early step. The trend has been clear for the past decade, and it has been going in the wrong direction, at increasing speeds.
It's an early step if you count successes. You build on success, not failures, surely that's clear. I agree it has been a trend and has been going the wrong direction at increasing speed, assuming you mean the trend is large, general internet restrictions imposed by governments.
> This is pretty much something the tech industry brought upon itself by trying to always trying to outdo itself in terms of how much tracking and privacy violations it could get away with.
I agree we brought it on ourselves by giving an inch. If it's privacy violations that are the problem, what are they violations of, prosecute under that, move on. If the legislation is working and needs more teeth, add em. Otherwise, its politicians trying to outdo themselves over how much interference they can get away with. And we have said "get away with plenty".
> IOW, from a techie to another: cry me a river.
I say the same as one citizen to another wrt your data.